Breaker point gap setting means



Sept. 12, 1967 H. w. FIGGIS BREAKER POINT GAP SETTING MEANS Filed Jan. 14, 1966 FIG. I

FIG.2

"AZIEILJSIE FIGS INVENTOR HAUGAN W.

ATTORNEYS;

United States Patent 3,340,751 BREAKER POINT GAP SETTING MEANS Haugan W. Figgis, Kalamazoo, Mich., assignor to Pace Laboratories, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Filed Jan. 14, 1966, Ser. No. 520,590 2 Claims. (Cl. 81-71) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to an improved tool for turning an adjusting screw or like driven member through a calibrated angular distance such as, say, one-half turn (180) or one-third turn (120).

Tools of the kind that have this purpose have generally provided a radially central driving member articulated between its head or screw-engaging end and its tail or indicating end. The driving member is rotatable within a handle or sleeve that may be held against rotation. The handle or sleeve and the indicating end of the driving member are provided with cooperating markers, pointers, or scales so that the turning movement of the driving member may be measured relative to the non-turning handle or sleeve, thus indicating the degree of turning movement of the adjusting screw in an accurate manner. The articulation of the driving member permits its use in a restricted space such as that surrounding an automobile engine distributor. The driving end engages the screw, the tail end extends toward the user for observation, and the two ends are coupled through bends or angles necessitated by limited clearances. I

An object of the present invention is to provide a tool of this general kind that may be used where there are limited clearances, but which dispenses with the need for an articulated driving member.

Another object is to provide a tool of this general kind that dispenses with the need for a handle or sleeve surrounding the driving member.

Another object is to provide a tool of this general kind that is more simple and less costly to make than earlier tools.

Embodiments of the invention are described below and in the accompanying drawings. This description is by way of example, and is by no means exhaustive.

In the drawings, FIGURE 1 shows a tool embodying the invention.

FIGURE 2 shows a flattened form of an indicia tape which may be wrapped around and secured to the indiciabearing portion of the tool seen in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 shows another indicia tape.

The illustrated tool includes a radially central member 11 which is illustrated as having the form of the end of a hexagonal (hex) wrench because many or most distributor adjusting screws are provided with hex sockets. Obviously, this member may have a bladed end for use with slot head screws, or a Phillips end for use with Phillips'head screws. The member 11 is mounted on an indicia-bearing portion 12 of enlarged radius that is coaxial with the member 11.

The indicia-bearing portion 12 carries two series of regularly repeating symbols, in this case the two series of numbers 1 to 9. The eighteen numbers in these two series make up an array of regularly spaced symbols extending once around the annular extent of the indicia-bearing portion 12. The symbols may be printed on a tape 13 whose length is equal to the periphery, or annular extent, of the portion 12. The tape 13 may be wrapped on the portion 12 and may be secured thereto by adhesive or other suitable means.

The dwell .angle on many ignition distributors may be set by turning the adjusting screw in (clockwise) until the engine just begins to misfire, and then backing off just one-half turn; To do this accurately, the illustrated tool may be used. It is short enough to fit in restricted clearances. It is inserted and rotated to turn the adjusting screw clockwise until the engine just begins to misfire. The tool is now in an arbitrary rotative position, and to complete the adjustment, the tool is to be turned counterclockwise from this arbitrary position through a half turn, and through substantially no more or less than a half turn.

To make this half turn accurately from an arbitrary rotative position is a simple matter. The user observes any symbol on the periphery of the tool portion 12 that is aligned or almost .aligned visually with any stationary object or mark on the engine or elsewhere within the users line of sight. A shift of position is made if necessary, as by a slight head movement, to make the alignment exact. Then, without changing position, the user turns the tool counterclockwise until the corresponding symbol in the next series becomes aligned with the sighted object or mark. This indicates the completion of exactly one-half turn.

'If three series of marks are provided on the indicia-bearing portion 12 in the manner illustrated by the tape 14 in FIGURE 3, then alignment of background objects or marks with corresponding symbols in immediately succe s've series indicates the accomplishment of one-third of a turnone-third being the inverse of three. In general, the invention may be used to indicate a fraction of a turn if the fraction is the inverse of a whole number and the number of series of regularly repeating symbols is that whole number.

The invention may also be used to measure amounts of turn that are whole-number multiples of such fractions. In such cases, the number of series turned through corresponds to the whole number multiple. For example, onethird of a turn can be indicated by using a tool having the indicia of tape 14 as just mentioned, and also one-third of a turn times two, or two-thirds of a turn, can be indicated by using the same tool and indicia but turning from the observed mark-aligned symbol of the initial series to the corresponding symbol of the second succeeding series, rather than only to the corresponding symbol of the first succeeding series in the manner previously described.

The invention is not restricted to the slavish imitation of each and every detail described above. These have been set forth merely by Way of example with the intent of most clearly setting forth the invention. Obviously devices may change, eliminate, or add features without departing from the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A tool for accurately turning a hex-socketed or slotted screw or the like through a measured fraction of a whole turn, or through any whole-number multiple of said fraction, said fraction being the inverse of a given whole number, said tool comprising a radially central member for driving interengagement with the screw, and an annular indicia-bearing portion of enlarged radius and coaxial with said central member and carrying indicia including series of regularly repeating symbols making up an array of regularly spaced symbols extending once around the annular extent of the indicia-bearing portion, the number of said series of regularly repeating symbols equalling said given whole number.

2. A tool for turning a hex-socketed adjusting screw through a measured half turn and substantially no more or less, said tool comprising a radially central member formed as a hex wrench end for driving interengagement with the screw, and an indicia-bearing portion of enlarged radius and coaxial with said central member and carrying indicia including two series of regularly repeating symbols making up an array of regularly spaced symbols extending once around the annular extent of the indicia-bearing portion.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS D. 45,165 1/1914 Warren 8171 X 2,817,985 12/1957 Capella 813 2,917,954 12/1959 Capelle 145-5O X JAMES L. JONES, JR., Primary Examiner. 

1. A TOOL FOR ACCURATELY TURNING A HEX-SOCKETED OR SLOTTED SCREW OR THE LIKE THROUGH A MEASURED FRACTION OF A WHOLE TURN, OR THROUGH ANY WHOLE-NUMBER MULTIPLE OF SAID FRACTION, SAID FRACTION BEING THE INVERSE OF A GIVEN WHOLE NUMBER, SAID TOOL COMPRISING A RADIALLY CENTRAL MEMBER FOR DRIVING INTERENGAGEMENT WITH THE SCREW, AND AN ANNULAR INDICIA-BEARING PORTION OF ENLARGED RADIUS AND COAXIAL WITH SAID CENTRAL MEMBER AND CARRYING INDICIA INCLUDING SERIES OF REGULARLY REPEATING SYMBOLS MAKING UP AN ARRAY OF REGULARLY SPACED SYMBOLS EXTENDING ONCE AROUND THE ANNULAR EXTENT OF THE INDICIA-BEARING PORTION, THE NUMBER OF SAID SERIES OF REGULARLY REPEATING SYMBOLS EQUALLING SAID GIVEN WHOLE NUMBER. 